| Who Is Jesus from John Chapters 6-10? On this most critical question that any of God’s creatures can be asked, according to the Book which God has written, is WHO IS JESUS? If you have the opportunity, you may want to listen to “Who Is Jesus?” from one of the greatest preachers that has ever lived, one George W. Truett, and from back in the days when southern baptists were really southern baptist. Or you can read a book of sermons from Truett with this message in it; that is, unless the BBFs have not already removed it from the Lifeway book stores. 2-c-1: Who Is Jesus? from John 6-10. We will look at this sectional Bible Sudy on, "Who IS JESUS?", in terms of Who Jesus said that He was to His contemporaries; in terms of what the Apostle John wrote who who He was to them; and to terms of the different reactions and divisions among the people and the leaders as to who Jesus was. This will assist in the understanding from the Bible of what the conditions are for the rest of God. We will see primarily in the reactions of the Jews of Christ’s day how most did not meet those conditions of eternal rest, and why. Note how intense it is in this five chapters of John, from chapter six to ten. Jesus does a lot of teaching and Jesus performs miracles; but everything He says unless it is in private to the disciples is challenged, from the Jewish leaders, the people, and even His brothers. We find during the events of these five chapters that many of the disciples that followed Jesus around--some looking for a permanent way to be fed--ceased to follow Him. They could not understand how He was the bread of life. They choked at eating His flesh as the means for everlasting life. In fact one of the many reactions of the people was, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" Jesus explained that to His larger group of disciples, but many still left following Him. {NOTE: And now we will complete this Bible study with a combination of signs or works with the diverse reactions of the people. It is felt that the same reactions of the people in the First Century is the same as the reactions that are possible to people today. And that these are in certain categories.} (R1) The Jewish Leaders Murmured because Jesus said that He was the Bread of Life and that He came down from heaven. "The Jews then murmured against Him, becasuse He said, ’I am the bread which came down from heaven." (John 6:41) The first reaction we considered is in John 6:41 where the Jewish leaders reacted because Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life and said that He came down from heaven. So this is a reaction to the teaching sign of Jesus of the bread of life that followed the miracle sign of the feeding of the Five Thousand. The sign of course of the feeding of five thousand pointed to Jesus as the Bread of Life. They had investigated this Jesus of Nazareth more than they admited. Why He is the son of Joseph, we know His Father and Mother. Once again as He heard the murmuring among the leaders, Jesus reminded them that they could not come to Him unless the Father draw them. (R2) Some of the Jews quarreled among themselves as to how Jesus could give them His flesh and blood to eat, and many of the disciples said this is a hard saying. "The Jews therefore quarreled among themselvs, saying, ’How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?....These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ’This is a hard saying; who can understand it?’" (John 6:52,60 NJKV) Does this offend you. And He explains how it is the Spirit, the Holy Spirit that gives life. (R3) Many disciples went back and walked no more with Jesus, but Simon Peter made the famous confession of Faith. (John 6:66 and 68,69). "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ’Do you also want to go away?’ Then Simon Peter answered Him, ’Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Chirst, the Son of the living God.’" (John 6:66-69 NJKV) (R4) The brothers chastised Jesus for not making more public appearances: At this point even the brothers of Jesus did not believe in Him (John 7:5). Jesus was walking openly in Galilee more than Judea because the Jews sought to kill Him. And when it was close to time for the Feast of Tabernacles, his brothers chastised Him for not going at first in order that the larger body of disciples could see His works. "Show yourself to the world," was their words. "For even His brothers did not believe in Him." (John 7:5 NJKV) (R5) Seeking of Jesus by Jews, and Murmuring among the people that He is Good and others that He deceived the People. (John 7:12). Later we will come to a series of three questions from the Pharisees. Here we have some of the Jews, that is Jewish leaders asking "Where is He?" They were actively seeking Him and could not find Him. Of course, their motives already were to persecute and kill Jesus. Already the Jews had placed the people on notice that if anyone believed in Jesus, since it was heresy, they would be put out of the Temple; so the people "murmured among themselves" in a semi-whisper. Some murmured, "Jesus is Good." Others murmured, "No, Jesus is not good because He deceives the people." "And there was much murmuring among the people concerning Him. Some said, ’He is good’; others said, ’No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.’ However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews." (John 7:12,13) (R6) The Jewish leaders as Jesus taught in the Temple marveled about where Jesus received His education (John7:15,16), and Jesus explains where His doctrine or teachings come from. "And the Jews marveled, saying, ’How does this Man know letters, having never studied?’ Jesus answered them and said, ’My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether I speak on My own authority." (John 7:15-17 NJKV) (R7) Some People Replied that Jesus had a Demon because He said that the leaders were trying to kill Him (John 7:20,21), because of one work they were trying to kill Him. Others from Jerusalem said this is He that they seek to kill (John 7:25ff); is this Christ, but we know where He is from. "The people answered and said, ’You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ’I did one work, and you all marvel." (John 7:20,21 NJKV) This was back at Jerusalem where they knew primarily of only one miracle-sign, that of the healing of the man on the sabbath at the pool of Bethesda. (R8) They sought to take Him but could not as it was not time (John 7:30); but many believed (7:31) when they saw the Signs that He performed. The Pharisees and chief priests sent officers of the Sanhedrin to take Him as they heard what the people were saying about Jesus (John 7:32). "Then they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, becasue His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believd in Him, and said, ’When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done. The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him." (John 7:31,32 NJKV) (R9) On the Last day of the Feast as Jesus spoke of the Living water (John 7: 37-39) the reactions were diverse: may said ths is the Prophet; many said this is Christ; others will Christ come out of Galilee; and there was a division among the People (John 7:43) Since this is the most positive reaction of the crowd in Jerusalem to the Teachings of Jesus, we should look at it carefully. 2c-2: What did Jesus teach them? 1. Let those that are thirsty come to Him; 2. Who believes in Jesus out of his heart, according to the Scripture (Isaiah 12: 3,43:20,44:3, and 55:1), would flow rivers of living water. 3. John explains this phenomena of water out of the heart as the Holy Spirit, which was not yet come, did come on the first day of Pentecost after the Ascension. "Therefore many from the crowd, when they hard this saying, said, ’Truly this is the Prophet.’ Others said, ’This is the Christ,’ but some said, ’Wll the Chris come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said tht the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?’ So there was a division among the people because of Him. Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him." (John 8:40-44 NJKV) (R10) The Sign of Jesus forgiving the woman in adultery pointed to His teaching as the Light of the Word, and the reaction of the Pharisees was that He was a witness to Himself (John 8:13). "The Pharisees therefore said to Him, ’You bear witness of Yourself; Your witnss is not true.’" (John 8:13 NJKV) (R11) A series of questions: from the Pharisees, "Where is your Father?" (John 8:19); from the Jews, "Will He kill Himself?" (John 8:22); from the Jews, "Who are you?" (John 8:25)8-13: (R13) But many believed on Him when they heard His answer (John 8:30). Here is the crux of the whole matter as to how the world has accepted Jesus, how we should accept Jesus. These three key questions, His answers, and then the final answer about His lifting up caused many to believe on Him. Following is the intense sequence. (1). What triggered the first question: the Pharisees stated that His testimony to Himself, when He said "I am the light of the world" was not true because He was His own witness. In other words, He was patting Himself on the back. (2). Jesus replied that He knew where He came from and where He was going back to; then reminded them of the law of the Old Testament which said that the testimony was true from two men; and the conclusion was since the Father and Himself bore testimony to Him as the Light of the World, the testimony was true. (3). The Pharisees could not let it stand there, and the first question in this series came, "Who is your Father?" Always the questions were attempts to trap Jesus. Jesus answered the question in two parts (John 8:19-21): (1) You don’t know the Father and you don’t know me or stated a different way If you had known the Father you would also know Jesus, the two go hand in hand; and (2) I am leaving, Jesus said, and you will seek me for salvation, but you will die in your sins since you cannot come where I go. (4). This triggered the second question in that series of three, again from the Pharisees, and among themselves but so that the people and Jesus could hear, "Will he kill himself?" They tried to start the rumor that Jesus was going to commit suicide. This question came after Jesus said where I am going you cannot come. Jesus answer this time was once again the heart of the Gospel: (1) You are from this world and I am from another world; (2) You will die in your sins because you do not believe that I am He. (5). This in turn triggered the third question from the Pharisees, probably the most important question that can ever be asked and then answered properly. Let us see what the answer of Jesus is? First the third question, " WHO ARE YOU?" "Who are you, Jesus?’ is the most important question than any human on earth can ask. The answer of Jesus is: a. Exactly what I have been saying to you from the beginning, no doubt the beginning of His ministry. b. I have many things to say and to Judge of you; but as God is true, I speak to the world the things that I heard from Him. Jesus says that He is only an echo of the Father. What He heard, He repeated! (The Apostle John adds that they did not know that He spoke of the Father since He used the words "He" and "Him".) c. Then comes the Gospel of the Atonement, and herein is found the condition for eternal rest as God the Father set it up. Jesus said that when you have lifted up the Son of Man then you will now who He is; and that nothing is done by Jesus except what the Father taught Him (the implication here being that it is also recorded by the Father in the Scriptures of the Old Testament). The Father is with Him at all times. d. As He spoke these words many believed on Him. Belief is the condition of eternal rest, and the reason most of the house of Israel after 40 years of testing God in the wilderness could not enter eternal rest, or even the Promised Land of Israel, was because of “an evil heart of unbelief”, naturally the opposite on belief. "As He spoke these words, many believed in Him" (John 8:30 NJKV) e. You know how Billy Graham seeks to instruct those who believe after they have made a public profession of faith. Well, here Jesus is doing the same thing. We have the Master Teacher telling us exactly what it means to be a Christian, what it means to have faith. [1] You are indeed my disciples if you abide in my word; and [2] You will know the truth and the truth will make you free. (R12) Some of the believers mixed with the Pharisees were very questioning, they reacted that they were already free since Abraham’s seed, never having been in bondage. (John 8:33). Probably more the Pharisees than the believers. "They answered Him, ’We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bodage to anyone. How can you say, ’You will be made free.’" (John 8:33 NJKV) They wanted to believe, but they did not want to be insulted. They were not slaves to anybody including the despised Roman government that ruler over their country. So Jesus explained what it meant to be in bondage and to be freed by the truth: (R13) The Jews called Him a Samaritan and a Demon (John 8:48); then after His replies took up stones to stone Him (John 8:59). (R14) The Pharisees became divided after Jesus performed the miracle-sign of healing the man blind from birth, some said that He could not be of God since He did not keep the sabbath, and others said how can a man that is a sinner doe thise signs. "Therefore some of the Pharisees said, ’This Man is not from God, becuse He does not keep the Sabbth.’ Others said, ’How can a man who is sinner do such signs?’ And there was a divison among them." (John 9:16) We should carefully note the reaction of the man healed and then that of the Pharisees who cast him out of the Temple. {There are more reactions from this sign in John 10:19-21} (R16) Reaction to the If you are Christ tell us plainly; and I and My Fathr are one; as they took up stones to stone Him. (John 10:22-42). We have a summary of reactions in the next section in Tablular form as some believe and others try to stone Jesus. 2c-3: Conclusion In Table, A Summary of What They Said About Jesus. Somewhere you may find yourself and your answers to Jesus. After all, it is what you say about Jesus that counts for your eternal rest in salvation. TABLE 1: People Reactions to Jesus’ Signs (these signs primarily teachings) Location Group Reaction What Jesus Said/Did to Trigge r [NOTE: To see this table, go to the PDF copy of this message.] 2c-4: Three sceptical questions from the agnositcs who claimed to be children of Abraham and of God. {Sort of ironical since Jesus came from residing in heaven with God. He knew God, and He knew the people of God!) The people seldom, if ever, reacted adversely to the miracles as that did something for them: they reacted to the teachings because that required something from them. Now the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders did react to the miracles as that caused the people to leave them to follow Jesus. We should look at the sequence of questions from the Jewish leaders, and the answers of Jesus. 1. "Where Is He?" (John 7:11) The answer of Jesus was by showing up during the middle of the feast time. 2. "How did This Man Get An Education?" (John 7:15) Jesus explaned to them that His doctrine or teachings came from the God that sent Him, and that anyone that was actually seeking God’s will they could tell whether it was from God or not. If it comes from a man himself, it is for his own glory; but it is true if the doctrine seeks the glory of the One that sent Him. 3. "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks" after he said "You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come?" |